Cursed Stranger
by sunnyshinybaby
Summary: It's a normal day at Bloor's Academy for gifted students, until the endowed notice a beautiful stranger coming towards them. Turns out she's got a deadly secret....how far will she go to keep it?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! Okay, so, first of all, i'm a loser, i don't own ANYTHING, except maybe my laptop. :) my name's veronica, i'm a freshie in highschool(wipee!) and i tried to get my friends on charlie bone but they are weirdos and say its a kids book. which, technically it is, but i loved it from the moment my mom introduced it to me(yes, my mom.) when i was, like, 12, and so being me, i started daydreaming about it. like ,what if I was in it and stuff, ya know? sorry for the long A/N, but when i start talking, i CANNOT stop. so here starts the story! enjoy! pleaseplease review! if i can get at least TWO, i will be happy. :)**

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The Beginning

It was a typical day at Bloors Academy for Gifted Students. Dark and dreary clouds covered the sky, a chilly breeze rustled the crinkled, yellow grass. Charlie Bone shivered. He was wearing his cape, blue for music students, waiting for his friends on the log pile. He was fifteen, and wasn't at Bloors because he was smart or artistically gifted. It was because he had an endowment. Charlie was able to look at a picture and "go in" it, hearing the voices of the long deceased, or the lost. He was also able to go into a portrait, or a painting. There, he could actually communicate with the person in the painting. He whipped his head around, hearing someone yell. He grinned when he saw his friends Emma, Olivia, and Fidelio walking towards him. Olivia, a drama student, was wearing one of her usual flashy outfits. Her short and naturally brown hair was dyed purple, and she was wearing high stiletto heels that she teetered in. She plopped down on a log gratefully.

"Do you know how hard it is to walk in these?" Olivia asked Charlie, lifting up her foot.

"No, but I'm sure that you're going to tell me." Charlie said, raising an eyebrow. Fidelio chuckled. He wasn't endowed, just an extraordinary student in music. Olivia was endowed as well, but the Bloors were unawares. Olivia huffed, and put her chin in her hand. Emma turned her head to the left, sending her blonde ponytail flying into Fidelio's face. He gagged, and she gasped.

"Look up!" she managed. Charlie tilted his head upwards, as Emma had indicated. He thought that maybe she had seen a bird, for that was Emma's endowment. She could turn into any kind of bird she could imagine, and soar into the sky. Speaking of the sky, what Emma had seen was no bird. The gray clouds that had hung over the academy were swiftly moving away, and blue sky was peeking out. Soon the sun emerged, and Charlie grinned.

"Thank you, sky!" he called, making Olivia laugh. Emma waved, motioning Lysander Sage and Tancred Torsson over to them. Lysander was African, and he had the ability to communicate with his ancestors. He strided over, moving his long legs effortlessly to close the gap between him and Emma.

"Hey Em'. What's up?" he asked, perching beside Emma. Lysander was fifteen as well, and so was Tancred.

"Nothing much. Except that the sky is blue, and the grass is green." she said offhandedly, and the group looked down. Tancred gaped, his green eyes wide. The yellow grass was indeed green, and Tancred plopped down on it, his blonde, spiky hair hidden in the greenery.

"This is weird." Olivia concluded, and Fidelio snorted.

"That's weirder." he said, pointing to…a girl. She was walking alone, by herself, as if completely oblivious to the students around her. But it wasn't her solidarity that made her stand out in the throng of teenagers. It was her extreme beauty. Her skin was smooth and tan, a pretty caramel color. Her legs were long, slim, and perfect, matching stride for stride in an unbreakable, fluid motion. Her equally slim arms were clutching a book to her chest, her face in a wondered expression. Oh, her _face_, Tancred thought, staring. It was truly an angel's face. Her chin was angular, cheekbones protruding sharply, yet all her features soft and delicate. Her eye color was practically invisible from this distance, but her eyes were _huge_. Charlie let out a low whistle.

"Wow, she's gorgeous."

"No wonder she looks lost. She's probably headed for the Modeling Agency. Not here." Fidelio said, and Emma laughed. Just like that, she stopped, and tapped someone on the shoulder. Her lips moved; she was talking. The student looked around, and pointed at the log pile, where Fidelio was sitting. The girl thanked him, and headed towards Fidelio.

"Incoming." Lysander muttered, and punched Tancred's arm. The girl stopped in front of Fidelio, and handed him a slip of paper. He stood, and read it to himself. "I'm your guide?" he asked, looking up. She nodded, and smiled, her perfect teeth sparkling in the sunlight. "Sit," he invited, motioning to a log. She sat carefully next to Tancred, looking around. "Hi, I'm Tancred Torsson." He said, sticking out his hand for a handshake. She shook his hand carefully, looking around again. "Hello. I am Amoret Wellers." She said quietly, her voice as musical as a bell, and as soft as a feather. There was a malicious edge under it, though. Immediately, introductions were made. Tancred stared at her when she was talking to Fidelio. Her hair was a soft brown, with strands of copper and bronze mixing in. Her lips were full, and curved up now as she smiled. She was slender, her blousy white button-down hiding that fact, tucked into her green skirt. "Excuse me?" he heard, and his head snapped back up from the cover of her book. Amoret was looking at him, frowning slightly. "Yes?" he asked, widening his eyes in mock innocence. Hers narrowed slightly. "She was wondering if you would show her to the King's Room today." Fidelio said quickly, not wanting Tancred's temper to get up. "Sure." He shrugged, and looked at Amoret again. Her eyes were a mix of green and brown, he noticed. _Like tree bark… _"Thank you." She said, smiling at all of them. She took turns looking into each of their eyes, Tancred last. She gave a little gasp, then walked quickly away. Amoret broke into a run, looking back only once. The expression on her face was sheer terror.


	2. 2 Unknown

**heyy!!!! i'm not sure if i'm doing this right, but i'm trying to post the second chapter..also, i'm trying to get to THREE reviews this time. at least. please? it's not that hard. just press the little button down there. :) first off, it appears that there are some things that i need to explain. 1. i KNOW tancred's eyes are blue, not green. but in my head, i always see them as green. i dont know why i do that, but i do. 2. charlie, livvy, amoret, tancred, lysander, fido, gabriel, (i know i'm fogetting some1, but u get what i mean.) are all the same age. 15. i know thats wierd, but hey. i never said fanfiction was supposed to model the story exactly. :) manfred is still icky and 17, so don't worry. also, its just their ages. billy is 12. it's not like i did something drastic, like...make manfred hot. (eewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) anways, here is the second chapter, UNKNOWN!!!!!!!!!!! **

**p.s. i think someone throws a shoe in this one. and i think the shoe in question is a stilletto heel off of livvy's foot. and it hits someone's head...**

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Unknown

"That. Was. Weird." Emma said, gazing back to where Amoret had disappeared. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"No, really?" he said sarcastically, and Emma slapped his arm. "You suck." He muttered, and scooted closer to Olivia. "Was she the new girl?" asked a new voice behind them. Lysander turned around, and there was Gabriel Silk, another friend of theirs. Gabriel could feel the scenes and emotions of people through clothes that they had worn before him.

"Yup." Lysander said, and Gabriel frowned.

"What?" Olivia asked, referring to his expression.

"There's something really weird going on with her. I don't know what it is, but I was talking to her, you know, 'cause she's new, and she's really friendly, but then all of a sudden it's like I ran over her puppy or something. Weird. I bet I could tell if someone gives me a scarf of hers or something," he explained, his face going thoughtful. "Or her skirt." Olivia offered, snickering. Gabriel rolled his eyes.

"Right…" he said, pushing Olivia off of the pile. She threw her shoe at him. It ricocheted off his head and hit Emma. Olivia lay gasping on the ground, laughing, when the bell rang.

"Dismissed!" Dr. Bloor thundered, after dinner. Students milled out of the cafeteria, to their classes. Tancred and Lysander caught Amoret as she was walking out, and Tancred grabbed her elbow. She shrieked, and whirled around, fist clenched in the air above her head. Tancred laughed, and her expression softened, then grew a little fearful. She jerked her arm away from him, her mouth twisting into a scowl.

"Don't do that to people!" she snapped, edging closer to Lysander. His laugh turned into a smirk, and he started walking.

"Come on, it's this way." Lysander said, gently urging her forward. She started walking slowly, her amazing eyes wary.

"Where did you use to live?" Lysander asked; it had grown uncomfortably silent in the stone hallway. Her eyes flashed, and she lifted her face up to scowl at him.

"What is it to you?" she said, and the boys grew increasingly more awkward with the situation. Lysander breathed an audible sigh of relief when they reached the door. Amoret gave a quick toss of her head, removed a pencil from her bun, and opened the door. She bumped into Tancred as she slid past him, mumbling a quick and frosty,

"I am sorry.". He smirked, not believing it at all.

"Right." He muttered, and she flashed him another cold glare. Lysander immediately called order; he was now the head of the class. Amoret sat down fluidly in her seat next to Emma. The room grew silent, and soon Gabriel joined them, the last.

"Sorry I was late." He murmured, sitting next to Amoret. She leaned over her books, a lock of long, long hair slipped out of her bun and fell on Gabriel's open book. All the boys at the table had trouble concentrating on their lessons with her around.

"Ugh…" Olivia moaned, flopping down on her bed with drama. Emma rolled her eyes, and sat down cross legged in the bed next to Olivia's. "What's the matter now?" Emma sighed, and Olivia propped herself up on her elbows, her big grey eyes staring into Emma's blue ones with mock solemnity. "Amoret's in our dorm." She said, and Emma sighed again. "You know, just because my hair color happens to be blonde, doesn't mean that I was too dumb to notice her designer suitcase on the bed right next to the window." She retorted, and Olivia giggled. "I wonder why she got the best bed, right next to the window." Emma wondered, and Olivia laughed harder. "Maybe she turns into a bat at midnight and has to get out to drink blood." She guessed, waggling her eyebrows at Emma. She laughed, and then looked around quickly. Amoret had come back from the showers, her hair spilling down to her waist. She was wearing an old fashioned white nightgown, the kind you only see on old Victorian actresses, in movies. She sat on her knees on her bed, gazing longingly out of the window. All at once, shrieks were heard in the hallway outside of the girls' dormitory. Emma started immediately to glare at Olivia, and she threw a bewildered look back at Em'. "I didn't do it this time, I swear!" she whispered, and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amoret give a slight smile, before rising to her feet, and going to the door.

Down a floor below, in the boys' dorm, Charlie and Fidelio heard the screams before the yells of surprise and wonder. They raced out, followed by Dagbert Endless, Gabriel, and Billy, as well as all the other boys in the dorm. They raced up the stairs, and Fidelio gave a yell of surprise, before toppling down into the mass of students on the stairs. Complaints were heard, then more yells. Charlie gaped at what he saw.

"_Oh my God_!" he shouted, eyes popping wide. He saw Tancred and Lysander beside him, each staring wide.

"Tanc, what did you do?" Lysander groaned.

"I didn't do anything, this isn't me!" Tancred cried, throwing his hands up in the air. Then he started staring again, but at something very different than the _cloud_ that had appeared in the stairwell. It was about five feet all around, raining on the floor below it, close enough for both parties to touch. One boy did reach out his hand, only to be smacked by a miniature lightning bolt. He let out a yell, and staggered back into matron, who had appeared.

"What is the meaning of this?" she thundered, and Charlie rolled his eyes; it was his Aunt Lucretia. Almost instantly the rain disappeared, and the cloud grew smaller. Tancred was staring at Amoret, who stood a little off the side , holding onto the rail with one hand, her other hand hidden in the folds of her nightgown. Her hand moved, and the cloud vanished. The rain that had been pouring down from it left no wet mark on the ground; nothing at all. His green eyes moved up to her face, then to her eyes. He raised an eyebrow, glancing quickly at the space the cloud had been. She gave a slight smile in his direction, and tossed her head. All her hair was on the right side of her head; she looked like a pioneer that had gotten lost in the wrong century. The exchange took less than five seconds.

"I asked who did this?" demanded matron. She shook Tancred.

"Was it you, you…storm bringer?" she asked, and Tancred shook his head no. Amoret stepped forward. Matron was about to give him detention when her clear voice broke through the silence of bystanders.

"It was me, matron. I did it." She said, lifting her chin. Almost all the boys' mouths dropped open. Matron's glare softened slightly.

"Hmph. Well, let this be a warning then." She said gruffly, and Charlie felt his mouth drop more. Matron never just "gave warnings". Always detention, no matter how small the case. "It will not happen again." Amoret said, and walked back to the girls' dorm. Everybody stayed stock still for a few more moments, until matron barked, "Everyone back to your rooms, this instant!". Emma and Olivia read the shock on everybody's faces, and scurried back into the dormitory. No matter how much they wanted to, no one approached Amoret on the subject. There were only curious stares. She wouldn't have told anyone anyway.

It was only a matter of days now. They would come any second. _Calm down_, Amoret told herself, as she dressed for school the next day. She tucked her white blouse into her beige pencil skirt and headed off to the bathrooms. She could feel every curious girl's gaze as she passed. The girl named Olivia was looking in the mirror next to her. Amoret swiftly brushed her hair, and was sweeping it into a bun when Olivia spoke.

"So, what was with the stunt last night?" Amoret froze. She had not been expecting this. All the girls, not the boys so much(_drat.._), were giving her a wide berth.

"What is it to you?" she snapped, sticking a pencil in her hair.

"I want to know. I mean, it's not really as much fun to conjure up a cloud as a really wild storm, but, I'm curious." Olivia said, throwing her purple cape around her shoulders. Amoret was annoyed. Why must people here be so pushy? Couldn't they just leave her alone? It wasn't so hard. Amoret had been leaving people alone for years. Olivia turned around, facing Amoret. Amoret stared into Olivia's grey eyes, and a smirk lit her face. "You would know, wouldn't you?" she said, quietly. Olivia fidgeted.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, glancing away. Amoret stepped closer to her.

"Of course, you've probably just conjured up little things, like burning fur carpets. And smoke where there's no fire. Clever little illusionist." She said, her voice a mere whisper. Olivia stood in shock. Amoret's smirk grew more pronounced, and she strode out of the room, slinging her blue cape around her shoulders. Emma found Olivia still standing stock still in the restroom. She pulled her out, Olivia's mouth still hanging open in shock.

Tancred spotted Charlie, Fidelio, Emma, Olivia, Gabriel, and Lysander sitting on the log pile during break, Olivia talking excitedly. He also noticed Billy Raven standing a little off to the side, with a thoughtful expression on his face. What he saw next shocked him most. Amoret was standing close to Manfred Bloor and Dagbert Endless, Joshua Tilpin, Dorcas Loom, Ideth and Inez Branco, and Asa Pike standing near her in a loose circle. Manfred bent over to whisper low in her ear, an ugly smile lighting his gruesome, thin, white face. Amoret gave a quick toss of her head, her nose up in the air; disdainful. Manfred and Dagbert each hooked an arm through one of hers, and led her into the shroud of trees that surrounded the ruin. She disappeared from view, the circle of teens following them a far way behind. Tancred broke his even stride and broke off running toward the log pile. He collapsed onto the ground below Fidelio and Lysander's feet, panting. Olivia took one glance at him, looking a bit annoyed, and went on talking. Tancred waited until Olivia was finished, and he caught his breath at the same time. When Olivia was finished chattering, he replayed the scene he'd witnessed.

"Are you serious? I wonder what Manfred could've said." Lysander mused, and Gabriel's eyes popped open.

"Olivia was just telling us that this morning, Amoret somehow knew that Olivia was and illusionist." Gabriel said, dropping his voice down to a whisper. Charlie suddenly froze. "Do you think that Amoret would tell that to Manfred?" he asked slowly, looking around at his friend's faces.

"She might." Said Billy. No one had noticed that he had come over to them. They whirled around, accusations on each of their tongues.

"If they had something that she really wanted, she might do it." He said, ducking his head as he blushed crimson. Billy would know.

"Blessed told me that he was up in the tower one day, you know, where your dad used to play, remember Charlie? And that he heard music, and then a clang of non-melodic notes, like someone was banging on the instrument, I'm guessing it was the piano, and then he heard someone sobbing. He thought it was a girl. He went a little farther up, and he saw someone with really long brown hair disappearing around a corner. Actually, he said that it was out the window, but Blessed could've gotten it wrong. There's no way someone could just jump out the window. Except maybe Emma, of course. It could've been Amoret Wellers." Billy finished, and the group just stared at him.

"It was yesterday." He added, thinking it might be helpful. "I was walking past the tower yesterday, and I didn't see or hear anything." Fidelio objected, but Charlie raised a hand. "What time yesterday, about?" he asked, and Billy narrowed his round ruby colored eyes in concentration.

"Well, Blessed said that it was dark, very, very dark, so I think that it might have been midnight, or something." He said, and Olivia let out a whistle.

"But we were all in bed by then." Emma said, tossing her ponytail.

"She could've snuck out. I've seen it happen." Tancred said, rolling his eyes at her. She stuck out her tongue.

"You know what I want to know?" Gabriel asked thoughtfully.

"No." Charlie said, staring at him.

"I wonder why she gets special treatment from the Bloor's. It's creepy. It's like she's a female version of Manfred." He said, and the group burst out laughing.

"A much, much, much hotter version of Manfred. And even nastier." Charlie commented, raising his eyebrow's at Tancred. Tancred chuckled.

"She's got some weird aversion to you, Tanc. She's hated you from day one." Olivia said, frowning.

"Yeah, it is sort of weird. Maybe she's got issues." Billy said, and everyone rolled their eyes.

"Don't you think that it's kind of obvious that she's got 'issues' Billy?" Lysander asked, and Billy flushed red to the roots of his snow white hair. Charlie hushed them.

"Look." He ordered, gesturing to the woods. Amoret was coming out, Manfred on her arm. He was grinning a mile a minute, and the second he looked away from her, her ready smile turned into a hateful grimace. Her facial expression switched back into the smile when he looked back at her. They talked. Manfred led her inside.

"Freaks." Gabriel muttered, swinging himself up from the log and stretching his legs. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"No, really? That's odd. You know, it's kind of funny, how odd that is. A couple of freaks in a school full of freaks. Yeah, that's really odd, Gabe." She said, dripping sarcasm. Fidelio sighed.

"Oh! I almost forgot. You know what my brother found out a few days ago?" Fidelio asked, his head shooting up. They all shook their heads.

"Well, they found out that a new nightclub, you know, for teens, was opened up on Water Street, and my brother—you all know Felix, right?—and his band signed up to play there, and he said that we should come this weekend, you know, kind of like…advertise it…I guess. So what do you say?" he finished, partly out of breath. Olivia looked dreamy and starry eyed.

"Mm…I'd love to go. How 'bout you, Em'?" she asked, turning her head to face Emma. Emma nodded, and the two of them looked at the boys.

"Uh…I don't really think I would have a lot of fun if I went." Billy said slowly, backing away.

"Yeah, sure, we'll go, right, Tanc?" Lysander said, jabbing his elbow in Tancred's ribs and raising his eyebrows. Tancred nodded, and looked at Charlie and Gabe.

"Sure, count us in." Charlie said, and Gabriel shrugged.

"Oh, and Felix was practically drooling when he came home from practice yesterday. He said they've got a really hot new singer." Fidelio added, widening his eyes like he wasn't planning something to get them all there. Gabriel's hand shot up. "I'm in!" he yelled, and Olivia and Emma laughed. Suddenly they all heard a high pitched squeal. They're heads whipped around, to the doorway. Amoret was standing there, her arms clasped around another girl. They pulled away from each other, and started talking excitedly. Lysander let out a low whistle. The other girl was just as gorgeous as Amoret, though in a stranger way. She had ice pale skin, and jet black, long, straight hair. It had fire-red streaks in it. She was tall and willowy, like Amoret. Lysander guessed she was Asian at first, but then she turned towards them, as Amoret jerked her head toward their group. She had almost exactly the same facial structure as Amoret, and the same enormous eyes. Except hers were jet black, the same exact color of her hair. Deep, rich, black. She was wearing a violent red skirt, up to her knees, and a white blouse, just like Amoret. Amoret squealed again, as someone very tall, very dark, snuck up behind her and put his hands over her eyes. She whirled around, and grinned hugely. The man spread his arms open wide and she jumped into them, arms clasped around his neck. He twirled her around and around in a circle, with her laughing wildly. He finally set her down, and kissed her cheek. Tancred's mouth twisted unconsciously into a grimace. She kissed his cheek back, and the three of them talked. Olivia started whispering to Emma. Emma giggled, and nodded.

"What are you two going on about now?" Charlie sighed, and the boys all looked at the girls.

"Just _look_ at him, you'll see." Olivia purred, and Emma giggled again. The boys looked to where Emma was pointing. The boy was tall, with tawny, thick, golden brown hair, and dark, clear blue eyes.

"He's so muscular. And tall, sort of dark, and incredibly handsome." Emma sighed, resting her chin in her hand and looking on at the boy in delight.

"But taken." Olivia said, clearly upset. Charlie and Gabriel chortled behind their palms.

"That's Amoret's boyfriend?" Tancred asked, still grimacing. He quickly righted his facial expression, when he noticed that all eyes were on him.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I mean, did you see the reception she gave him? And they don't really look anything alike. So he can't be her brother." Olivia said, frowning.

_I wish he _was_ her brother_, thought Tancred, as shocked by the thought as much as his friends were shocked by his grimace earlier. _Odd…_Olivia thought, frowning as she studied Tancred's expression, his gaze locked on the girl. Amoret.

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**since i found out A/N's are fun, here we go again! remember, guys: the button down there: click it. think of it as the button in the game DON'T PUSH THE RED BUTTON. you know you want to click on it. do it. click the button. you know you want to. just three reviews... :)**


	3. 3 Confusion

**okay, guys im backk!!! i spoil u ppl...but u can spoil me back! five revz ppl! pls?**

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Confusion

"Do I look too flashy?" Olivia worried, turning round and round while Emma studied her outfit. They were outside the club, and waiting for the girls to confirm that they looked alright enough to go inside. Olivia was wearing a orange leather mini-skirt, a green sweater, and a paisley purple scarf in her hair.

"No, you look perfect." Emma assured her, as the guys sighed.

"How 'bout me?" Emma asked, spinning. She was wearing gray jeans, and a deep blue top.

"Nice. Modest, but it suits you perfectly, Em'. I love it."

"Thanks. Let's go!" Emma said, ushering them all inside. Lysander jabbed Charlie in the arm and rolled his eyes. Charlie shrugged, and punched Lysander's shoulder.

"Yeah, Felix!" Fidelio yelled to no one in particular, pumping his fist in the air. His brother grinned at him from up on the stage. The club was packed. Couples were dancing, people were sitting on chairs in the corners and laughing, and more people were sipping punch out of cups by the buffet table.

"This is so cool!" Gabriel shouted at Charlie.

"What?!" Charlie yelled back. They all laughed. Olivia grabbed Fidelio by the hand.

"Let's dance, Fido!" she cried, and Fidelio groaned, yelling back SOS to Charlie, Tancred, and Lysander. Gabriel had already been grabbed by Emma.

"Whoa!" Lysander said, taking Tancred by the arm and pointing to the stage. On it, a girl with mile-long legs was dancing with her back to the crowd of dancers, singing in the guitar player's microphone. The song was by Jet. She had on a very short, denim mini-skirt, frayed at the ends, and a tight white shirt with chains for sleeves. Her boots were long and black. She turned around, and Tancred's jaw dropped to the floor. It was Amoret.

"Oh my God." Lysander said, shaking his head.

"She is drop dead. I mean seriously, who looks like that?" Olivia said, passing by with Fidelio.

"That's Amoret, Livvy." Fidelio said, with a roll of his eyes. Olivia's eyes narrowed.

"I've seen better." She said, dismissively. Tancred whistled before he could stop himself.

"Well I haven't. Fidelio, couldn't your brother have mentioned a name?" he groaned, and ran his hand through his blonde spikes. She caught sight of Tancred when she was in the chorus, and faltered. Her eyes opened wide, and Tancred sort of waved. She raised her hand and waved back, hesitantly. Then she went on singing. No one noticed the pause.

"She looks so different." Lysander murmured, to Tancred.

"Yeah. I've never seen her hair down. Wow." He said, sighing.

"And those legs!" Lysander exclaimed, throwing up his arms. She ended the song, and gave the mic to Felix. The band started to play another song. Suddenly a gorgeous girl grabbed Lysander's hand. She was very, very pale, with black hair. She stopped short.

"Hey, I know you!" she said, in a voice like velvet. _And I'm alone_, Tancred thought, as he looked at Lysander's face. It was the girl that was seen with Amoret.

"I guess. I saw you at Bloors." He said, a little breathless. She grinned hugely.

"Hi. I'm Amira." She said, sticking her hand out for both of them to shake. Her skin was ice cold. Lysander flinched, but put it behind him.

"Want to dance?" she asked, peering up at him through her lashes.

"Sure." Lysander nodded enthusiastically. They whirled off, leaving Tancred standing by himself.

"Are you enrolling in Bloors too?" Lysander asked Amira, looking down at her. She smiled.

"Well, yes, you could say that. Do you know a girl by the name of Amoret?" she asked, looking up at him. He nodded. She smiled bigger.

"Really? That's my sister. Are you her friend?" she asked, malice coming into her blackberry eyes. "Um…not really. I mean, I know who she is and she knows who I am, but that's just about it." He said, leaning back a little. Her gaze turned back to normal.

"Oh. Just wondering. Who are you? I'm sorry, I forgot to ask." She said, laughing.

"I'm Lysander Sage. Nice to meet you. Again." He said, grinning. She smiled, cocking her head to the side a little.

"Are you endowed?" she asked, quietly. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Yeah. I can call my spirit ancestors. You?" he asked, leaning away again to look at her. She shook her head yes, grinning.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" Lysander teased.

"Nope."

"Aw, come on. Please?"

"Sorry."

"Right."

She quickly changed the subject. "Hey, look! Oh—wait--hey! Hey, Amadis!" she called, smiling widely, gesturing to the tawny haired boy who was supposedly Amoret's boyfriend. He came over, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, little sis." He said affectionately, rumpling Amira's hair. Lysander had a hard time keeping his jaw in place. Sis?

"You…um. You're Amoret's brother?" Lysander stuttered, feeling an odd urge to slap himself. He restrained.

"Yes. Who might you be?" Amadis asked. Lysander cleared his throat.

"Um. I'm uh, Lysander Sage. Nice to meet you?" he said, the statement at the end coming out more of a question. Amadis's mouth pulled up slightly at a corner. Amoret suddenly appeared, hooking her arm to Amadis's. She looked quickly at Lysander, then said, in a low aside,

"I need to talk to you," to Amadis.

"It was nice meeting you, Lysander Sage." Amadis said quickly, then went outside with his sister.

"What is it?" Amadis asked his little sister, when they were a safe distance from being overheard.

"It's him. I'm telling you, it's him." She said, her voice low. Amadis frowned.

"Sage?"

"_No_. The other one. Tancred Torsson, the blonde boy. Him."

"And his significance is…?" Amoret sighed in exasperation.

"Remember our grandmother? Amoret, the Red King's youngest daughter?" she said.

"Yes. Of course I do, how could I not? That terrible fire…and great Uncle Amadis." Amadis whispered, shuddering.

"And that spell that Uncle Harken…issued?" Amoret said, through gritted teeth. Amadis cursed under his breath.

"Yes, I remember which one." He growled. Amoret nodded.

"That's the boy. He's the one who will help us. Except I don't know how, but we both know that this is the right century, Amadis. We've waited so long!" she finished, pleading in her eyes.

"You are saying, Sister, that he knows where it is?"

"_Yes_. All of them. The whole clan knows where it is, but they don't know how to get it."

"How are you going to persuade them?"

"Oh, Amira's got Lysander. Did you see his face? But…I…I want…" she broke off, her face frustrated. Amadis shook her gently.

"What? What is it you want?"

"I want them to be friends. I want to love them. All of them."

"That can easily be done, Amoret. You take after Mother."

"Hush! We must never speak of her, or of father, do you understand?"

"I apologize. It's just that you do, Amoret."

"Whatever."

"But the problem is, will they be friends with you? I've seen how they act around you, Amoret."

"I was afraid. I've been waiting for them all for so long. You can't imagine."

"Well then. We should probably go back inside, unless you want to get fired." Amoret laughed, and they walked back inside. She rose back up on the stage, and started singing. The band couldn't play this one; it was done from a recording, just without the voice. Amadis looked a little disapproving about the song. Especially when Amoret started looking at Tancred during every chorus and winking.

_Let me break the ice,_

_Allow me to put you right,_

_Would you warm up to me?_

_Baby I can make you feel,_

_Hot..hot..hot…_

Amira spun out of Lysander's arms and into Amadis's.

"So…how did all that work out? What did she tell you? When will I get to find out?" she asked persistently. Amadis laughed, at twirled her around as if he were the picture of ease. Which he most certainly wasn't. His sister was sharp eyed enough to see the small crease between his eyebrows.

Tancred was very confused. For one thing, he was against the wall of the club, sipping punch, gazing at Amoret as she walked up to the stage, and started a song on the recorder. She grabbed the microphone and started dancing and singing in a way that looked like she had centuries of practice. For the second thing, she was staring at him, and then she winked, singing the chorus straight at him. The song ended, and she tossed the mic to Felix. They started playing. She climbed off the stage, and the next thing he knew, she was right in front of him, smiling, for God's sake.

"Hello Tancred Torsson." She said, looking up at him. He blinked spastically, then quickly brought himself together. _Stay calm!_ He yelled at himself, and grinned at her.

"Hey, Amoret. You sing really well. Work here?" he asked, putting his hands on her waist as she wound hers around his neck.

"Yes. But only on the weekends, of course." She said, as they started to dance. Abruptly the song changed to something slower.

"So…what brought all this on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you so friendly all of a sudden? Don't you hate me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in question. Amoret reacted as if she'd been slapped.

"What? No!" she said, sounding a little like the breath had been knocked out of her.

"Oh. Seemed like it." He commented, twirling her around. He saw Charlie and Gabriel with Emma and Fidelio, sitting on a couple of sofa's talking, and suddenly Fidelio jabbed Emma in the ribs and pointed at Tancred and Amoret. Tancred grinned, and waved at them. Amoret turned around, and gave them a small smile. Their mouths dropped open.

"I did not hate you, Tancred. I was just…confused." She said, frowning at nothing in particular.

"Ah. So could we considered friends now?"

"Yes. If you wish." She said, feeling like she could just about burst with happiness.

"Let me introduce you to some of my friends. You already know them, but anyway. I'll get us some punch." He said, leaving her to either be swept up by one of the guys waiting on the sidelines, or to sit with Tancred's friends. She chose the latter. Walking—slowly—over to the sofas where they were sitting, she gave them a smile.

"Hello." She said quietly, and they just stared, except Emma, mouths gaping like fish. Both the girls fought the urge to laugh.

"We've met, but in case you've forgotten, I'm Emma, and these lunatics are Charlie Bone, Gabriel Silk, and Fidelio Gunn. It's Amoret, isn't it?" Emma said, sticking out her hand. Amoret shook it confidently, her shyness slowly sweeping away.

"Yes, it is." She said, smiling wider. She saw Amadis out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you mind if my brother sits with us? He's coming this way." Amoret asked, meeting Emma's eye. Information spilled into her mind, and she quickly looked away. "No, that's okay." Emma said, and she looked over to where Amoret was gesturing. Her mouth dropped. So Olivia was wrong. Amadis sat down next to his sister, and slung an arm around her. She shrugged it off and grinned at Emma. Emma grinned back.  
"So...when did your parents move here?" Fidelio asked, recovering his composure. Amoret fell silent.  
"Our parents died many years ago. The Bloors received us instead of sending us to a home." Amadis filled in smoothly. Amoret started muttering something unintelligible, and rose from her seat, stalking off to the buffet table, to Tancred.  
"Sorry about my sister, she really hates the Bloors." Amadis apologized, and then leaned in closer to them.  
"Listen, we have another reason that we came here. Do you think that all of you, even Fidelio, could meet us up somewhere tomorrow? We have something urgent to discuss with you." Amadis said, his voice low. Emma looked over at Fidelio and Charlie, then at Gabriel.  
"We could probably think up something. Do you know Ingledew's bookstore?" Amadis nodded.  
"Then that's where."  
"Tomorrow. Agreed?"  
"Yeah."  
"Time?"  
"Let's say ten a.m."  
"Good. We'll be there." Amadis got up, and left off into the crowd without another word.


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**This is an A/N**

**okay, so, i will not post more until i get more reviews. so, sorry to disapoint my avid readers, but**

**i seriously would like more reviews, because if you guys are not interested, i see **

**no point to continuing. **

**if you like this story, and want to read more, you will fullfil that wish if**

**you review. it's not for me, it's for you.**

**:) **

**p.s. THANK YOU for the people reviewing and reading and loving! i loveee you! and a big shout-out alice scream to you all!**

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	5. another AN urgent!

**A/N**

**okay, so since i want more reviewers(and reviews) i have decided**

**to enable the ANONYMOUS REVIEW thing for **

**the readers--if there are any--who read this and**

**can't review because they don't have an account. **

**:)**

**i am not trying to seem sulky or bratty by not updating**

**because no one's reviewing, if anyone thinks that,**

**i just really would like to know that you guys ARE actually**

**interested in what i'm writing. so, next time you read, **

**please review. **

**:)**

**p.s. big I LOVE YOU and an *alice scream* to those of you who**

**have reviewed(and added me/story to their faves), thank you**

**guys! you have made me smile(grin, laugh, snicker, ROFL...etc.)**

**when i read your reviews, lengthy or short. and i also promise that **

**i will update DMS for those of you reading it! **

**LOVE/THANK YOU!!!!!**

**--veronica**


	6. 4 Issues

**yes, another chapter. reviewers, a.k.a. my favez ppl in the world(love youzz!) --i have an obsession with zz right now. huh.--thankz you soooo much for reviewing! im sorry i have not posted in awhile, but, you guys, if you read my A/N's, you understand. but, i'm posting now! let's all hear an alice scream!! eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay! i like posting chapters, because you guys make me happy, cuz you guys say you luvvezz, and also, i am excited too when another chappie pops up..lol, i am a dork and proud of it. little random fact here: i took a How Wierd Are You quiz on my friend's facebook today, and i got absolutely Ordinary. My friend was amused with how angry i was. :) anyway, on with the story!**

* * *

4. Issues

Emma tapped her foot against the floor, and then heard the doorbell tinkle as someone opened the door. Then she heard a bang.  
"Drat, that low ceiling." she heard someone mutter. Ah. Paton Yewbeam, Charlie's amazing great uncle, was here.  
"Hello, Paton. Emma! Turn off the lights and light the candles!" Julia, Emma's aunt, called out to her. Emma already knew. She flicked off the light switch, and scraped a match to light. She was just pressing it into a candle wick when Charlie's head peeked around the curtain.  
"Hey, Em'. Just making sure." he said, coming in. Paton came in, ducking his head when he came through the doorway. Paton Yewbeam was a very tall man, with straight, black hair, and he was a power booster. That was the main thing about him. No electric light could be on without him possibly exploding it.  
"We're a little early," Charlie apologized, bringing Billy Raven out from behind him. Emma felt a great swell of relief that Billy was still there. He had accidentally been drawn into an ancient town called Badlock, and it had taken great persuasion to get him back out. He hadn't wanted to go, but Charlie had made him come back. He had, thankfully, given in.  
"That's okay. Come on, have a seat. The other's should be here any minute. I'll be right back." no sooner were the words out of her mouth that the door clanged again. A breeze swept through the room.  
"Hey, Tanc!" They all called, in unison. Tancred came into the room, grinning a mile a minute.  
"This should be good. A huge tell-all: Who are the Wellers? Why are they such psychopaths?" he said, pulling out an imaginary notebook and pretending to write in it. Emma laughed, then went into the big front room. Julia was discussing a book with Paton, and Fidelio was just coming up the street with Gabriel. Emma ushered them into the back, and then waited again. Amoret, Amira, and Amadis were next. They all looked like models, the girls, mostly. Amadis looked actually a little shabby next to them.  
"Emma!" Amoret cried, and hugged her. Emma was a little taken aback, but she hugged her, too. Amadis and Amira both crushed her. Olivia bounced into the bookstore, her hair dyed green and windblown.  
"Hi! I guess i go in back, right?" she said breathlessly, and Emma nodded. Lysander was next. Then she went back into the back room with him; they were all seated either on the floor or on the couch or chairs. Tancred lounged on the floor. Amoret was sitting next to her brother and sister, clutching at her dress. She looked scared, like she was having trouble breathing. Amira squeezed her arm. Amira was blushing so hard it looked like her face was on fire, but on her model's face, it looked gorgeous. She leaned over and whispered something in Amadis's ear. Amadis looked down at the floor, which Julia had recently gotten laminated. She came into the room just then, carrying a thick book.

"Miss Ingledew, you don't mind if we might get your floor a little wet, do you? If we clean if up?" Amadis asked, and everyone stared at him. Amira flushed even redder, and Amoret took her hands off of her dress and started to fan her.

"You know you shouldn't do that!" Amira hissed at her, and Amoret bit her lip, fighting a smile.

"Right, sorry. Oxygen." She murmured. The attention was back on Miss Ingledew and Amadis.

"Uh…no, of course not, but why would you ever get it wet?" she asked, bewildered. Amira sighed as her brother and sister pointed at her.

"Because Amira might…um. I'm not sure how to word this…" Amadis stammered, and Amira sighed again, heavily.

"Because I might _accidentally_ light myself on fire. I can't really help it when I get nervous. It's like when Amoret has her laughing fits. Hyperventilation. That sort of thing." She said, looking down. Amoret laid her head on her sister's shoulder and smiled. Miss Ingledew nodded slowly, and sort of smiled. She was used to endowment's enough to know not to ask too much. She left. Amira sighed, and wiped her hand across her forehead. She stopped short of slouching when she noticed everyone staring at her.

"What?" she asked, rolling her eyes around the room like she was totally innocent. That eased everyone up. The group started laughing, and Amira sighed again. Some of the red started to shrink away from her cheeks. Amadis grinned.

"So. How should we start? Your back ground stories," Amadis stretched, and folded his arms behind his head, "  
Or ours?" he finished, looking expectantly around the room. Charlie looked at his friends, and cleared his throat.

"I think it would be wiser to start with yours. I'm guessing that you already know enough about us, from Amoret's connection with Manfred and his cronies." He started, and everyone, especially Amadis, looked at Amoret. She blushed, and ducked her head.

"It's not what it looks like." She mumbled, twisting her hands in her lap. Amadis was frowning, but he quickly turned back to Charlie.

"So…what you're saying is that you want to know what we want with you. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Fine. Shall I start, girls?" his sisters nodded.

"We were born in the summer of 1250. Our mother's mother was Amoret Yewbeam, married to Otus Yewbeam. She perished in Borlath's fire, while my Uncle Owain tried to locate Otus and his son, our other Uncle, Roland. No one knew that Amoret had given birth to another child, another boy, named Gale. He was kept in great secrecy, and later married Cecille, our mother. She was a--," he started, but was cut off by Amoret, who was clutching at his arm and whispering, "No." he nodded. Charlie and his friends were shocked to see that tears had come into her eyes.

"Well, they got married, and had three children. Us. Amira, Amadis, and Amoret. Our grandmother Amoret had entrusted the mirror to Owain and he had given it, in turn, to Roland, who had given it to us. It got stolen, as the years passed. I left, when I was fifteen, to go to my Uncle Roland. Meanwhile, Harken came, stole the mirror, and spread a curse over my sisters that could never be lifted. He thought, it could never be lifted. Our mother knew better. On her death bed, for Harken had cursed her and my father with death, she told my sisters a way to lift it. The curse affected our whole household, but most of the servants and help fled once they saw Harken coming in through the gates. When I came home, two years later, I was affected too." He drew in a ragged breath, and pressed Amoret's hands in his. Gabriel swallowed hard. He could tell the worst was yet to come.

"What exactly was the curse?"

"The curse?" Amadis chuckled darkly, and a tear slipped down Amoret's cheek. "The curse is what you see before you. We cannot die. We cannot age. Hundreds of years have gone by and we looked exactly the same as we did when Harken came. Our mother did tell us one way we could die. Or, move in time again. We have to find the Mirror of Amoret, destroy it, and then…" he choked off, and fell silent. Amoret slid off the couch and started pacing. The group waited, impatiently. Olivia started tapping her foot. Amoret glanced once at Tancred, who was sitting up now. There were tears on her face, but she wasn't crying anymore. Her eyes were strong and proud.

"And then?" Olivia finally asked, her irritation at waiting breaking through. Amira choked back a sob, and buried her face in her brother's shoulder.

"And then, Olivia? And then I have to die. To save my family, I must die." The severance in her voice was strong, the anger fierce. Olivia shrank back into a pillow. Tancred's eyes widened, and Fidelio started to rise off the floor.

"Why would you have to die? I mean, how?" Emma asked softly. She could sense there was something to it.

"How?" her voice grew dreamy, but not in a delightful way. She was imagining ways to kill. Someone. Herself. Something ancient.

"There is only one way I can die, Emma. I find the boy I love. We kiss. I die." She barked out a short laugh.

"Kiss of death. What a cliché." She muttered, striding out of the room. For some unknown reason, everyone felt their eyes sliding to Tancred's, whose were glued on the door. Somehow, they knew. Oh, they _knew_.

* * *

**eeeeeeee! i am so nervous posting this at...9:26 PM. huh. anyway, nervous nervous nervous...i get really emabarassed reading that last part cause i think i put wayy too many broken sentences in there...hm..oh well. what's done is done. you know how fun it is doing A/N's? its really fun. personally, i like reading A/N's too. and, speaking of A/N's, bronzehairedgirl6--something with numbers, but she and i think melolabel are having a contest. maybe. i'm not sure. i heard something about that, though, but i recomend checking out bronzehairedgirl6--somethingorother's profile, if you wanna get into the contest. i recently(more like two minutes ago, i am BORED and i have a freaking TEST tomrrow!!! eeeek!) made a banner for Cursed Stranger and my twifanfic DMS(Dancing For My Saviour) and they are on my profile if you guys wanna go and check those out. anyway, if you liked or didn't like or have opinions on what's going to happen or should happen or whatevs, click the little review button! and im totally copying off of an amazing fanfic writer by doing this, but whatevs. (she wrote Wide Awake, a twific)**

**reviews are better than Amadis shirtless. (hottttt!)**

**--veronica**


	7. 5: Secrecy

**i decided to post because of that amazing reviewer who reviewed chapter 4. she was the only one you guys! come on, i can't do this without your help! review review review! it's fun! hey, if you review, i'll stop complaining and i'll post more often. how's that sound? good? well press that button! this chapter is dedicated to the lone reviewer of chapter 4! thank you!**

* * *

Secrecy

"Isn't there anything else in the world to clunk out on a stupid piano?" Amoret muttered to herself, back at Bloors. It was midnight, and she was in the tower room, where Charlie's father used to play. They had never taken down the piano.

"Isn't there anything else in the world to play on this…_thing_, other than love songs or songs of devotion or heartbreak?" she murmured, laying her head on the piano and stroking her hand over the glossy ivory keys.

"I wish I could answer that." Someone said, in the shadows. Amoret's head jerked up, and then she pretended to sigh in relief. She had to. Or else…

"Dagbert. What are you doing here?" she asked, confused, and getting up from the piano stool.

"I heard you talking to yourself. I got worried that you might need therapy. Also, Manfred wants you. And Ezekiel." Dagbert said smoothly, and Amoret fought back a shiver as the drowner smiled at her. His greenish hair looked murky, and he brought along a chill with him that instantly repelled even the spiders that collected on the rafters. She especially hated him. He had drowned someone about two years ago. In the school. She had felt it within the very core of her being. She still didn't know who it was. It had been a terrible feeling, like someone tore her eyes out, lit them on fire, then stuck them back in her head.

"Alright. I'm coming." She said, flashing a smile at Dagbert. He closed the door after her.

Amoret knocked on the door, where Ezekiel could be heard wheezing. Amoret swallowed her disgust, and opened the door when Manfred's voice called out,

"Who is it?" in an irritated tone.

"Amoret, Manfred." She called back, making her tone sugary sweet. Thank God that she had practiced her acting skills. Too bad, really, that she wasn't in drama.

"Come on in, Amie." Manfred said, his voice changing abruptly. Amoret fought back revulsion. She'd have to kiss him when she got inside. He had a feeling for her. It was obvious. And why not play up the act a little? It couldn't hurt. Besides, he was sure to spill out some more information if he was slightly incoherent. He acted that way every time she _smiled_ at him. She opened the door, and silently stepped in, closing it behind her. And she just hated, absolutely hated that nickname that he'd given her. "Ah-mee" it was so childish. It was what her sister had called her when they were toddlers. Manfred was right behind her, his black hair done up in its usual ponytail. Honestly, she thought, he looks much older than seventeen. Why, he's even got some gray hair mixed with the black! She bit her tongue, swept away all envisions of running out the door, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hello." She said quietly, rising up on her tip-toes. He looked nervous. Imagine! The unsurpassable Manfred Bloor _nervous_! She laughed, quietly to herself, thinking that. She kissed him lightly, and hugged him quickly. Then she let go, and made her way to Ezekiel Bloor, sitting in his old wheelchair. She positively hated him, as well and possibly even more than Manfred, but she pasted on a sincere and cordial smile, taking his hand and sitting down next to him on the floor.

"What is it that you have called me down for, sir?" she asked, looking up into his eyes. Ezekiel quickly looked away. He knew what she could do. Read eyes like open books, seeing vivid past results. Never future. Never recent. Distant past.

"I want you to fix the Mirror of Amoret." He wheezed, his black, beady eyes alive and mischievous compared to his dead-looking body. Amoret smiled. This is exactly what she needed.

"Done. My siblings are here. Do you know what they do?" she said, a small smile playing on her lips. Somewhere during all this Manfred recovered.

"Here, sit on a chair, Amie, the floor must be uncomfortable." He said, sliding a chair over to her. She took it gratefully, crossing her long legs and leaning forward to look Ezekiel in the eye. Manfred swallowed.

"No. Tell me!" he demanded eagerly, clutching her hand in his bony one.

"Amadis can turn into any animal he can imagine, any at all. Amira…has the power of Borlath, fire from her fingertips, and the opposite. She is ice, as well. I am earth, as you may already know. Vines, boulders, trees, sky, storm, you know. And I was at the club this weekend. I made friends with Charlie Bone and his gang." She pretended to shudder. Manfred reached for her hand, but she pretended not to notice and used it to flip back her hair instead.

"Yes? What are they planning? Is that why you made friends with them? To spy? Ah, clever, Amoret. I must admit I underestimated you."

"Yes, and they are_ also_ thinking about fixing the Mirror, and then bringing Harken back, to destroy him." She thought quickly.

"They think that they may issue the murder of Harken on an island, in the sea. It is quite easy to get to. Of course, I am the one who suggested it to them. It floods about every two hours." She said, mocking triumph. They didn't notice. Ezekiel was already deep in thought.

"Good, good, keep close to them. Manfred, I need to speak with you privately. Goodnight, Amoret." He said, and Amoret rose, and left. She was walking down the hall when the thought came. _Oh, I plan to stay close to them. _All_ of them. Especially one. You see, Ezekiel, I know, now, who drowned two years ago. He miraculously lived, of course. You have absolutely _no_ idea exactly how close I plan to stay with them. Allegiance-wise as well as physically. You are not the only ones who I am spying for. It's all about secrecy, you dim-witted fools. I just happen to have _a lot_ of it._

* * *

**yes, i know that this is a short chapter, but it was necessary. when i was writing it, i did not think about chapters. i really don't like chapters, i prefer parts or all in bulk(i seriously adore paragraphs. they are amazing.) so...chayeaa...okay, so, story recomendation! i recomend...*drum roll***

**Charlie Bone and the Troublesome Trio (sorry guys, i'm not sure who it's by..)**

**It's normal at Bloor's Academy, but then charlie and the gang notice that three mysterious girls arrive at the school(none of them know eachother, s'okay) and suddenly, the gang is encased in a whole mess of trouble, hilarity, and possibly romance. amazing, you should really check it out. the sequel is the tomb of mahmet or something of that name. which is also really good. **

**well, i'm off, but before you guys get outta here too, press the review button! also, when you review, if you have anything funny(quotes!) or anything i should put in it(or the sequel...i'm starting a sequel already, so bad, lol!) don't hesitate to put it in the review or PM me! lovez you all!**

**--veronica**

**p.s. reviews are better than punching manfred in the face. or, anywhere else, really..**


	8. 6: Plans

**ooooo....*hovers in doorway* i'm kinda freaked that i'm gonna be attacked. from canada, usa, europe...wherever y'all are from...sry that i haven't updated in 4ever! i am SO busy w/ HS, and my parents are being gay, and blahblah...there's really no excuse is, there? whatever. i'm updating now. it's all good. if you review, you can yell all you want..... :)**

* * *

6. Plans

"And then?" Charlie prodded, while Emma wrote things down in a notebook.

"And that is it. That is all that happened, while I was there, at least." Amoret finished, and grimaced. She had been telling them all that had went on last night, on the spying mission.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"You simply cannot imagine who repulsive it is to kiss Manfred Bloor." Amoret said, and Olivia and Emma both dissolved into a fit of "Ew!"'s. Tancred's face twisted, as he thought of Amoret, sweet little Amoret, having to spy for them. Even to that extent. This was just too much.

"See here now: Where is the island?" Gabriel, always the practical one, asked. Amoret shrugged innocently.

"I'll drive. Of course, Mr. Yewbeam will have to go with us. I know that I only look fifteen, but I'm much older, and, believe it or not, I've had some actual experience with driving." She said, making a joke of it. Almost everyone laughed. Emma chewed on her nails.

"I'm kind of scared, guys. What if Amira doesn't get the Mirror?" she worried, and Amoret wound an arm around her waist, resting her head on Emma's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Emma. I have absolute faith in my sister. Though, it does bother me that I cannot read her past envisions. I wonder…no, never mind. Tancred, what are you doing this weekend?" she said, lifting her head and abruptly changing the subject. Tancred tore his eyes off of her lips and struggled to find the coherency to answer her.

"Um. Nothing, I guess. Why? Did you have a plan?" he asked, looking up from his perch in the green grass. Amoret nodded slowly, smiling.

"Well actually, Amadis had something in mind. You see, I misled the Bloors into thinking that we were going to murder Harken on that island, and they plan on getting there first to issue a 'secret attack'. It is not so secret now, is it? So, Tancred, your house is on a hill that is in view of the whole city. You can see anyone who goes in or out. Manfred plans to do it this weekend, so we would need to follow as quickly as we can."

"But why don't we just go first, and surprise them?"

"Because, Gabriel, they will not tell me when, exactly, they are going. And we wouldn't be able to camp out anywhere near there. There is forest everywhere, and we couldn't spend the night in the cave because it floods every two hours." She said, exasperated. Amadis suddenly appeared.

"You know, Amoret, there is a cabin somewhere near that vicinity. We could spend a couple nights there." Amadis suggested, and Amoret's brow furrowed. Then her expression lit up.

"Oh, yes! Where Auntie Rita used to live. She was such a sweet woman. We boarded with her, once. It's terrible that she passed. Once she left, the cottage just went unused. We always used to go and clean it, didn't we, Amadis? I wonder if it's still there. I suppose it is, since you mentioned it. I wonder…" she mused, her eyes growing glassy, staring off somewhere at something they couldn't see. Charlie started pacing.

"We'd probably need Uncle Paton to take us. Is the beach, or wherever we're going, good walking distance?" he asked, staring at Amadis. Amoret was still mumbling to herself. Tancred was still staring at her. And Emma and Gabriel were poring over her small notebook, talking quietly to one another.

"Yes, it is, and we'd most likely need food. Are you sure that the parental's would let you go?"

"Yeah. If it was something important like this, they'd let us go. How are we going to keep lookout for Manfred and the gang?" Everyone froze, and looked slowly at Amoret. She was gazing off to the distance, a dreamy expression on her face, swaying to an unknown melody.

"She'll help, once she regains stable mental consciousness." Amadis said, waving it off. The bell rang shrilly. The group parted, with Tancred sighing, shaking Amoret so she would snap out of it. Her head jerked up, and she shrank back, as if expecting a blow.

"Come on, we're going to be late for dinner." Tancred said softly, pulling her off the log. She stared at him for a long moment, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was taken aback, but returned her hug. She sighed, and pulled away, walking to dinner without another word.

* * *

**okay...this is my own story, but i just gotta say, "awwww!" they HUGGED! hugs are wonderful! i know that was short, but whatevs. i'll update again today, since i feel i have neglected y'all and this story. :)**

**reviews are better than a group hug with tancred, amadis(drooool), gabe, charlie, fidelio...who is i missing? whatever...*daydreams***


	9. 7: Wait

**okay, this is also a short chapter. it's a sort of filler, too, but it's necessary. there's driving in this one... :)**

7. Wait

"Brake!" Amadis yelled, and Amoret's foot slammed down on the brake. The car screeched to a shuddering stop. Everyone took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"Now _slowly_ shift the gears and turn into the lane on your right." Amadis stressed, tightening his seat belt. Amoret rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.

"You said you knew how to drive." Olivia accused, a little breathless, from the back seat. Amoret's breath came out in a strange little huff.

"I can drive. See?" she said, narrowly missing a tree. Amadis muttered something unintelligible as his sister bit her lip and eased up on the gas pedal.

"Well, we made it up here in one piece. Who's gonna help me carry, fellas?" Amadis exclaimed cheerfully, popping open the trunk. Olivia pulled Amoret aside.

"Your brother says 'fellas'?" she squealed quietly, and Amoret grinned, nodding. Amira rolled her eyes, and stuffed her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, a key slipping out and into her hand. She unlocked the door, coughing as dust spewed out. Amira poked her head inside, and the rest of the girls followed.

"Hey Amira, how about some light?" Amoret joked, and Amira grinned. She walked over to the fireplace, and checked its contents.

"Maybe. If someone gets me a log or two. It sucks to keep a fire going through the night with no fuel. Because you get tired, and then you accidentally set a circus tent on fire." Amira said, and Amadis came in, lugging an armful of wood. He dunked it into the fireplace, as Emma was blowing dust off of a split, old, sofa. Amira snapped her fingers gently, and flames rose from her hands. Olivia's eyes popped.

"What the heck did she mean about the circus tent?" Emma asked quietly, plopping down on the sofa next to Amadis.

"Don't ask." He said, chuckling darkly. Amira smiled gently to herself, and kept on pressing her palms to the logs. They burst into flames quickly, and she let go, getting up and dusting off her hands.

"You know," Lysander started, shutting the door, "I'm kind of wondering how the heck we're gonna attack." He mused, sitting down on one suitcase, of three. The guys discussed strategies, while Emma, Olivia, Amoret, and Amira cracked open a can of stew and put it over the fire. Amira and Amoret started humming in synchronization, Amoret low, and Amira high. After they actually ate, Amadis snapped his fingers, and slid aside his paper plate. He kneeled beside one of the suitcases, and opened it. His hands emerged with a small DVD player, an envelope, and a couple of DVD's. Amoret caught sight of them first.

"No!" she gasped, blood flooding her face, her hands hiding the raspberry spread. Tancred frowned, confused. Amadis grinned wickedly, turning the DVD player on and slipping a CD inside. Amira scowled playfully.

"Seriously, brother, what did you do? Or is Amoret fooling me?" she asked, knocking his arm back and looking at the CD's. She gasped too, and shook her head.

"What?" Fidelio asked, curiosity burning his tongue.

"It is time…" Amadis started, in an ominous tone. "For some of our scary history," he said, and Amoret slapped his arm. Amadis chuckled, and pressed play. Old music started playing, and Amoret moaned. Charlie laughed, and nudged Lysander when Amadis placed the player on a table. The scene was somewhere in a club, though old fashioned. The screen was colored, but it was gritty.

"And now, Elizabeth and Cathy Lolis, with Adam Lolis on the saxophone." Someone said, and Amoret's shoulders started shaking in laughter. Amira joined in, and then tears were streaming down their faces as two girls came onto the stage, wearing top hats and mock suit coats with white skirts, holding canes. They were wearing tap shoes, and people were dancing in the foreground. One was red haired, obviously Amira, with pale skin. They started singing and dancing.

"Oh! I know this song! Mom plays it all the time!" Olivia cried out, snapping her fingers. In the next scene, there was only a blonde girl in a Spanish looking dress, held by a black haired man. Amoret and Amadis. They were both singing, and dancing intricately. Amadis held her around the waist, and Amoret appeared limp, dragging her feet on the ground, but still somehow part of it. He lifted her up and twirled her around. Olivia sighed.

"That's so romantic. You are so lucky." She said, staring at the screen. Amoret was still wiping tears from her eyes, giggling occasionally. Tancred turned and stared at her.

"What?"

"You. Were a blonde. This is just weird beyond words." He said slowly, grinning at her. The song ended, and Amira was still laughing along with it. Amadis flipped a switch on the player, and the video switched to another scene. This one was more modern. A girl with short, flippy brown hair was wearing a sweater ticked into high waist-ed shorts, and singing into a microphone. The next clip was on a stage, with Broadway printed in the background. Emma's blue eyes widened.

"No way, you were in Broadway?" she eked out, turning to Amadis. He nodded, and slit open the envelope.

"Charlie, you'd better keep away from these." He warned, passing photographs around. There were at least fifty. Some were in black and white, some in color, some in sepia.

"Woah."

"This is so creepy, yet awesome."

"Amadis, I hate you. I will never forgive you for this."

"Aw, you'll live." Amadis said back to Amoret, slapping the air. Amoret glowered at her brother and draped her arms around Tancred's neck.

"What do you know, brother, maybe I won't. For the love of God, Tancred, _kiss me_!" she sighed, and threw herself at him. Amadis half rose out of out of his chair, his hand stretched out.

"No!" he said sharply, just as Amoret was about to make contact. She smiled slowly, and drew back from the frozen Tancred. Everyone was still, and laughing, then. Amadis's eyebrows stayed creased. Everyone also knew why.

* * *

**i now notice that amoret was kinda slutty in this one. huh. OH! and she just basically told tancred and EVERYONE ELSE that she's in love with him! holy hell! woah! btw, anyone ever had a frozen 3 Musketeers bar? i'm eating one from halloween right now. and all i have to say is "yuuuuuummmmmmm...." its so good! frozen kitkats are also amazing. what the crap am i talking about? just go freeze random candy. yeah. okay, so, i don't know about you, but i enjoyed that part where amoret is driving. "i can drive, see? BAM!" not really, BAM! but thats ok. soooo....you know what to do.... :) **

**oh, yeah, story recommendation! this one's 4 twilight, so if you dont read twifanfic, ignore this. **

**it's called: Bright Like The Sun, by dryler. it's got a bunch of dry sarcastic humor in it, and its SO funny. wonderful. there's this part where mike and bella "go out" and he leaves her in port angeles BY HERSELF after she won't kiss him. oooooOOOoooo....**

**reviews are better than amoret's amadis's and amira's nostalgic stuff...PRESS THE BUTTON. **


	10. 8: Kiss of Death

Kiss of Death

They were in the boat now. They were halfway out into the bay when Lysander sighed, exasperated.

"Okay, this is completely hopeless. We're never going to get there unless someone gets out and starts pushing." He joked, loosening his grip on the oars. Amoret stood carefully, and so did Amira, after her. They nodded to each other, and, as the others watched with curious eyes, Amira slid off her jacket, and without a word hopped into the water. Amoret started to do the same, but Tancred grabbed her hand before she could jump off. Amira was already surfaced, frowning impatiently. Lysander was looking at her in awe.

"Tancred Torsson. Let go of me." She murmured, staring at his hand on hers. He gave a quick, jerky shake of his head, and his hand tightened.

"You'll freeze." He said evenly, looking up into her eyes. She was already starting to soften her gaze, and then Amira made a strange little sound from the water. Her eyes hardened again, and she groaned.

"Look at my sister, Tancred. She's perfectly fine."

"Yes, but she's partly ice."

"Trust me." she whispered, her eyes pleading. He sighed, and pressed his lips to her hand. Amoret gasped, and turned pale as a sheet.

"That's in case you freeze." he said, looking up at her. His eyes widened when he saw her face. Amoret took a shaky breath, and ripped her hand from Tancred's. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell into the water. They all rushed to look over the side.

"What happened?" Tancred shouted, staring at Amadis. Amadis looked back at him evenly.

"You kissed her."

"Her hand!" he cried, his face turning ashen as he realized what he could've done.

"Shut up, I'm fine." Amoret sighed, her head popping out of the black, murky water. Next to her was Amira. Tancred and Amadis both sighed in relief. Amoret rolled her eyes, and slipped back underwater. Her sister followed, and Amadis gripped the sides of the boat.

"Hold on!" he said sharply, and the group followed suit. The wind was suddenly rushing past their heads, whipping their hair flat back against their skulls. Charlie looked down, and clutched the wood tighter at what he saw. A flash of green scales could be spotted through the water. It's not possible, he told himself, shutting his eyes tightly. A few seconds later, the boat went slower, and an island could be seen jutting out of the water. Amira let go of the boat, and tapped her sister's arm. Amoret let go as well, going deeper into the water. Amira followed her, rolling her eyes all the way.

We're going to have to tell them sometime, Amira thought, glaring up at the surface. they could read each other's minds when they were changed. Family bonds.

_I know. I just can't bear to see his face if he finds out, _Amoret sighed, looking up as well.

_Would you like me to find out and graphically describe it to you? _Amira thought sarcastically_._

_No! Unless you don't like your hand where it is._

_God, sister, you're feeling very morbid today, i see._

_That might have something to do with the fact that i might die today, sister._

_Oh. Right. Way to ruin a moment. Now come on, they're probably all inside._

_*sigh*_

In fact, while the sister's were conversing, Amadis was hurriedly ushering Olivia, Tancred, Lysander, Gabriel, Olivia, Fidelio, and Charlie down the cave opening. Tancred shuddered convulsively as a spider crawled across his hand. They all dropped down, Amadis helping Olivia and Emma jump. Olivia blushed red and thanked her lucky stars that she'd been wrong about Amoret and Amadis. Tancred peered up through the hole and saw a pair of denim clad legs. He jabbed Lysander in the ribs, and with a grin, pointed up at the pale, bare feet that were emerging. Lysander nodded, chuckling, and grabbed Amira's foot, tugging at it. With a screech, she tumbled down and landed in a heap on top of Lysander. She was shaking with laughter, and so was he.

"Are you going to get up anytime soon so i can get down?" Amoret called, and Amira blushed scarlet. She climbed off of Lysander and held out a hand for him. He grabbed it, and she hauled him up. Amoret slithered down, and landed in a crouch. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her eyes flashed. Her insides coiled and mashed with revenge and blood thirst. Emma took a small step back, but after a second, she rose and was normal again. Footsteps were soon heard, and hushed voices. Charlie cautioned everyone to hide in the shadows. Manfred dropped down, smirked, and without warning, he went straight for Amira, and grabbed her arms. He pinned them down to her sides, and she gasped in pain. Dagbert was next, then Joshua. The fight was on before it had even started. Lysander started to summon up his ancestors, but before the beat of drums could even be heard in the air Dagbert flung himself at him, punching at his face. Emma turned into the most gruesome bird she could think of, and with Amadis at her side, they attacked the Branko twins, Inez and Idith, who were using their telekinesis to attempt to propel the two around the space. Tancred was conjuring up wild storms, making the floor slick. Manfred still had Amira in his grasp, staring into her eyes with all the force he could make up.

"NO!" Amoret shrieked, and lunged at Manfred, but the deed was already done. Amira started to come toward Lysander, who had been aiming throws at Dagbert, her hands flaming. Lysander muttered something that sounded like an apology, and kicked Amira in the stomach, flinging her aside. Meanwhile Amoret had ripped Dagbert off of Lysander and was now clawing at his face with her hands as thorns.

"You'll never, ever…hurt him…again!" she screamed at him, and Tancred, who was near her, turned to her in shock. He was just in time to see Manfred sidle up behind her and place his hands on her head. Tancred yelled in horror, and dropped his arms. Amoret turned around in surprise, and for one second, everything seemed still. Tancred couldn't seem to make his legs move fast enough, they felt like they were weighted down and secured to the ground. The Mirror dropped from Charlie's pocket, and Joshua stopped aiming at Charlie. Emma and Amadis seemed to stay still in the air, and Idith and Inez lowered their arms the tiniest fraction.

And then she screamed.

It was a terrible, monstrous sound, like metal scraping together. It was filled with death, agony, centuries of anguish, and, somehow, love. Her knees buckled, and she dropped. Tancred caught her just before she fell, and she sagged in his arms. With great effort, she fought her eyes open, and, maybe it was a rush of adrenaline, she staggered drunkenly toward Dagbert and slashed at his throat.

"Never…hurt…him…again," she rasped, before screaming again and collapsing against Tancred. Manfred laughed, a cruel, short, bark, and snatched the Mirror before dragging Amira out. Her black eyes were blank, completely empty, and she didn't even glance at her sister, who was now writhing and convulsing in pain against Tancred chest. He held her tightly, rocking her back and forth, memorizing her face. Amadis dropped down on his knees next to her, taking one of her hands in his. He was pained at how cold it already seemed to be. He squeezed it, and let out a choked sob. It was coming true. After all these years…she moaned in absolute agony. Tancred was sobbing, low in his throat, and kissing every inch of her face…except her lips. She mouthed something, then moaned again. All of the others had gathered around her, Olivia and Emma's hands in her hair, Charlie and Fidelio were both on either side of the girls, and Lysander plus Gabriel were at her feet. If they had taken a picture from above, they would've seen the shape of a coffin. And Amoret was the corpse. Tancred secured her other hand in his own, and she gripped it as tightly as she could manage.

"Mio amore," she sighed, struggling to open her eyes. Amadis caught her breath, and buried his head in his hands. It was over.

"Yes, baby, I'm here, it's alright, we're all here." He tried to soothe her, but his voice was so choked with dread and heartbreak it sounded more like a death sentence.

"I want…kiss me." She said solidly, tightening her feather light hold on his hand. She waited; she winced and convulsed again. Tancred shakily brushed a sweaty strand of hair off her forehead, and brushed his lips lightly against hers. She sighed, and all signs of pain and suffering swept away from her face. A light smile laced her mouth, and for one instant he thought everything was going to be fine, until he heard Amadis sob. She tried to say something; he leaned his head lower to catch her last words.

"I love you. I love you all." Her voice was strong, and Emma started to cry soundlessly. Olivia quickly followed suit. There were choruses of "I love you" heard all around, and she smiled again, then took a long, shaky breath. To Amadis, her hand felt colder.

"I love you, baby," Tancred murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. She sighed again.

"Oh, Tancred," she breathed out, "I love you, mio amore. I…will not…say…goodbye…" she said, barely audible. But yet, they all heard exactly what she said. Silent tears slipped down from Tancred's eyes on Amoret's eyes, beautiful eyes which were closed and would never see again. She shuddered out her last breath, and grew still. Tancred swung her up in his arms, and watched her face the whole time he was exiting. Amadis kissed her forehead, and Charlie, Gabriel, Fidelio, and Lysander squeezed her lifeless hand; Olivia and Emma kissed her cheek. Tancred pressed his mouth to hers once more, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

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well. that was dramatic. sorry i havent posted in forever! i wasn't writing and i had school and i forgot and just ugh. i will write more, i promise, i just have no batteryyy! please please review! :D


	11. 9: Over

heyy, another A/N, i know how much you love those... :D kay, just wanna say that this IS a rough draft, and ive got a lot of stuff i need to put in it, including the small section that i'm going to put in at the end of this chapter... :) sooo read, review, love, cry, laugh...whatever you want, and enjoy! :)

so, ive never actually said this, but OBVIOUSLY, i don't own anything... *sigh*

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Over

"Throw her in the water." Amadis ordered, his face expressionless. He was towing the boat over. Tancred looked at him in an astounded silence, his face practically screaming obscenities. Amadis glared at him.

"Do. It." He growled, helping Olivia into the boat. Tancred threw her out into the ocean. He could swear that she smiled. Everyone was already on board, and he jumped in, sitting down heavily.

"Go." He muttered lowly, and Charlie and Gabriel started to row. This trip would be much longer than the one before. Emma put her hand on Tancred's shoulder.

"Now you know how we all felt when you drowned." She said, and Tancred lifted his head out of his hands to stare at her. His face was blank, eyes completely empty. He hadn't realized it until now. She was dead. Amoret was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. It kept repeating throughout his mind, but he couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. Except that it was.

"Look at her. She looks like a sick puppy dog." Gabriel said in disgust, his long face longer than usual. He was gesturing to Amira, who was following Manfred around. Emma nodded in agreement.

"I thought that he couldn't hypnotize anymore." Olivia said, confused. Fidelio rolled his eyes.

"Looks like he got part of it back. I wonder when it's going to wear off." He commented. Olivia tugged on her black hair. She was keeping up a very gothic exterior.

"Maybe never." Emma sighed. She missed Amira. Amadis was inside, playing out everything on a piano.

"You know, maybe if we got her away from him and dumped water on her head, she'd snap out of it." Lysander offered, without much hope. Charlie looked thoughtful.

"We could try it." He said, and made his way towards Amira. He grabbed her arm when Manfred wasn't looking, and dragged her off toward a restroom.

"What are you doing?" she asked, weakly trying to struggle. Her voice was toneless. Charlie ran the tap, and took a handful. He didn't answer her, just splashed water into her face over and over again. She was completely soaked, and he gasped in horror of what happened next. She was slowly sinking down onto the floor, her legs changing into something scaly and wet. A tail. She blinked, and rubbed her eyes. She looked up at Charlie, who was gaping at her in fright.

"Oh. Hey Charlie. What am I doing in the men's restroom? And why am I wet?" she asked, frowning and looking down at herself. He gaped some more. She sighed, and rolled her eyes.

"Yes. I'm a fish. Get over it, and help me get dry so I can change back, you dumb idiot." She snapped at him. He shook his head, and grabbed her outstretched arms.

"Damn, you're heavy." He grunted, setting her on the sink counter top. Charlie quietly locked the door, and stood in front of her. She was holding her now flaming hands some point away from her legs—tail—and was obviously trying to dry it.

"When…what…how?" he stuttered, and she grinned.

"I know. I can kind of get why Amoret didn't want to tell you guys now. By the way, where is she?" she asked, her legs slowly beginning to emerge. Charlie gulped. She apparently didn't know yet. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Your sister died, Amira. The day of the fight. You sided with Manfred and the rest of them, and Manfred killed her."

"That fucking bastard!" she gasped, her face turning red with rage. Charlie nodded in agreement, a little shocked that she wasn't crying. Her hands clenched into fists, and she hopped down from the counter.

"Oh, and he hypnotized me, didn't he?" she added, a smile lighting up half her face. Sadistic.

"Yeah. Do you want details now, or do you want to rip his head off first?" he suggested, teasing slightly. She tapped her finger against her chin, thoughtful. Sadness clouded her eyes.

"Well, I've got like, what? Five minutes until study hall? I'll rip his head off and burn his eyeballs." She decided, whirling out the door.

"Wait!" Charlie called out uselessly. He followed her then, wanting to see what, exactly, she would do. Amira was stalking across the lawn towards him, past her brother and her friends. They all looked to Charlie, confused. Except Tancred.

"She is going to rip Manfred's head off, as she put it." He moaned, sinking to the ground and covering his face with his hands. Amadis's jaw locked. He rose, clenching his fists, and strode after his sister.

"Well, maybe it's good that she won't kill him. Unless Amadis is going to help. She probably wouldn't like murder on her hands." Fidelio commented.

"Yeah, but he killed her own sister. So, technically, murder's pretty much moot. It's like karma." Olivia retorted. They kept on arguing about it, while Tancred listened with deaf ears. It was strange, not seeing her, not feeling her presence next to him. Alien. Suddenly he felt a strong yearning to go walking around town. He wanted to visit the places she was last, to get back some part of her. He was relieved it was Friday. He only had to wait a few more hours…

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okay, here's the little clip, among many others, that i deeply need to includ when i finally revise this. :) here's goes...

* * *

Amoret Dead—After

Tancred threw her in the water, like Amoret had wished and like Amadis had told him to, his body numb. He couldn't believe it. They headed back to shore in complete silence, the Mirror gone, Amoret dead, Amira hypnotized, and Manfred's boat a small speck in the distance. Olivia was crying and Fidelio was holding her—somewhat awkwardly—while Emma stared sadly at Tancred.

"Not to add weight to the anguish, but at least now you know how we all felt when you drowned."

Tancred stared back at her, his face blank and hard.

"Emma, I'd rather lose me than lose her."

Back at Bloors, Amadis was somewhere studying. Olivia and Emma were talking about something on the way to history class, when they saw a big crowd in the middle of the hallway.

"I wonder what the hell this is…" Olivia muttered, taking Emma's hand and dragging her along to the very front row. Emma's jaw dropped. Wind was swirling around everywhere, howling madly, and rain was splattering on all the students. Olivia covered her newly dyed black hair with her history book, and the two squinted, trying to see what was going on. Along with the howling of the wind, they heard yelling, and a lot of cursing. They looked at each other, Emma's eyes wide.

"Tancred," they said at the same time and shoved their way into the storm. They saw Manfred feebly trying to defend himself, his face bloody and his nose obviously broken—Emma was mildly shocked that he could possibly look uglier—while Tancred was standing over him, punching the living daylights out of him. Occasionally he would kick him back into the wall, and yell something at him, usually along the lines of: "you-killed-her-you-sick-fucking-bastard-i-am-going-to-kill-you-you-sonuvabitch". Olivia jumped on top of Tancred, and started pulling him away from Manfred.

"I know he deserves it but you've gotta stop! It's not the way to solve your issues!" she yelled, while Tancred tried to get away from the girls' combined grip.

"_Let go of me_! Let go right now, Olivia, before I _make_ you!" he thundered, his eyes wild and unfocused. The wind grew stronger, knocking down Emma and blowing Olivia's history book into some first year's face. Olivia's grip loosened, which allowed Tancred to hit Manfred a couple more times, before a lean, strong arm reached down and grabbed Tancred.

"Tancred. You've got to stop," said Amadis, neatly shoving Tancred away from the crowd and dragging him outside. Olivia ran back to grab Emma and her history book, bowed to the crowd of clapping students, and ran outdoors after the two. They led Tancred to the ruins, and Amadis forced him down onto a rock, and dusted off his button down. His face was impassive, and Tancred panted, wide eyed, at him.

"How can you just stand there and let him live?"

"Years of experience. Tancred, please do not kill Manfred. She wouldn't have wanted it."

"Hell yes she would have, and you know it." Amadis's head tilted, and he frowned.

"Alright, she would have taken boulders to his face. But my point is, she wouldn't have wanted you to do this to yourself. Have you looked in a mirror recently? You haven't been sleeping. You barely eat. You're edgier than ever, and you've always got that vendetta in mind. It's not healthy, and you've got to let her go."

"Have you? Have you really let her go?"

Amadis sighed, and ignored the question pressing from Tancred's eyes. His face looked pained.

"She's dead, Tancred. And there's nothing we can do about it. So just…forget her, alright? Forget she ever existed, and you'll be fine." Amadis was walking away, back to class, and Tancred stood, opening his mouth to call after him.

"Amadis, I do get your 'point', but I'm never going to forget her, no matter how hard I try. You won't, and if you ever get Amira back, she won't either. Who would ever want to?" Amadis didn't answer. Olivia sighed, patted Tancred on the shoulder, handed him his cape, and went off to history class. Emma hugged him quickly, and followed Olivia. Tancred decided to skip classes. He sat there, the rest of the day; sometimes he paced. He always had her face, smirking up at him, behind his closed eyelids. He relived moments from dinner, when he'd look over at her, sitting with her brother and sister at the music table, and she'd look up from her food and smile. Or she wouldn't even notice him. She'd be staring off into space, until Amira jostled her shoulder and she'd start, her eyes wide and confused as to what was going on. He thought of the countless times he'd heard her sing, or when she'd been singing to him in the club, and when she's hugged him before dinner, before…before that fatal weekend. He knew he should cry. He wanted to cry. He wanted to sob, to scream, to throw things, but he couldn't. He was constantly numb. The only thing he really felt was fury. Anger at Manfred for even touching her, anger at Amadis for giving up, anger at himself for kissing her and signing her death certificate, anger at the Bloors for running this school for the sole purpose of torturing those opposing them and to gain power. He usually felt just the anger at himself, that it was his fault. She was immortal, she couldn't die no matter what Manfred did to her. Why had he been so stupid as to listen to her? The bell rang, and he stood, wind swirling around his ankles and lifting his cape. He walked across the brown grass under the gray clouds to the cafeteria, feeling numb, as per usual. And, he thought grimly, feeling numb maybe forever.

* * *

review please! :) and reviews are better than tancred kicking manfred's ass. ;)


	12. 10: Unmasked

imma post some more. thank you lilmisswritergal4eva etc. :D lovah youu!

OBVIOUSLY, i don't own anything... *sigh*

* * *

Unmasked

"You are _what_?" Olivia shrieked, banging her hands on the Pet's Café table. Tancred flinched.

"What's the big deal?" he retorted, leaning back.

"What's the…listen, _you_, Amoret just died, and you are already off gallivanting with some chick who, for all you know, could be a cheap hooker?"

"Alicia is _not_ a hooker. Listen, guys, I couldn't help it—,"

"He couldn't _help_ it!" Olivia echoed angrily. Tancred glared at her.

"She just looked so much like her! She could _be_ her." Amira covered her ears.

"Seriously, do you _mind_? I'm in mourning here!"

"I'm sorry, alright? Do you want to come along and see her for yourself?"  
"No." Amira said stubbornly, sticking her chin out. Amadis frowned.

"Amira, there could be a possibility…look what happened to Tancred…"

"I'm not going, okay? God! You have no idea what I'm going through here, alright? If you two want to go and see this Alicia Jenson who so miraculously looks like _my sister_ then fine! Just don't ask me to watch. It's sickening." Amira finished, standing up and striding out of the Café. Amadis put his head in his hands. Emma put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes I think she's right…she's got her mind set, you know? I bet even if Amoret was alive and was standing before Amira she would just say, 'nope, that's not her. God, you people sicken me!'" he did such a good impression of Amira Tancred was a bit taken aback.

"So you'll go?"

"Yes. I won't interfere. I'll sit at a separate table and everything, I just want to see her."

"Fine. I'm going at four."

"I'll be there at four thirty."

Alicia was playing again when Tancred came in, and she grinned at him. He waved, and sat at the back table again. He ordered another Coke. She was wearing the same thing as last time, just a different t-shirt. This time she was playing Jack's Mannequin. At four thirty, she looked at the door. Amadis walked in, quietly. Her eyes bugged out a little, and she started a new song. Something by the Beatles. Amadis looked up, and their eyes connected. She grinned, and looked back at Tancred. He smiled at her. She couldn't take it anymore. She looked away, back to her guitar. Inside she was fuming. It wasn't his fault. She should've known he would have told. And Amadis would have gotten nosy. At six, the poetry club started filing in, and she put away her guitar. She sat down fluidly at Tancred's table, and he felt confused. He had only known one girl who had been so graceful…no.

"Hey. So, like, are we going to eat anything?" Alicia asked, smirking.

"Oh, yeah." Tancred motioned the waiter standing in the corner over, who, this time, ran over obligingly.

"May I help you?" he was speaking directly to the girl. She grinned at him, and peeked at Tancred through the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, we'll have two Cokes. That okay with you?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll be back with the menus. By the way, Leesh, you played great up there tonight."

"Thanks, Al'. By the by, we won't need the menus. But give us a few minutes."

"Alright." He walked away. Tancred leaned toward her, his hands folded on the table top. She leaned against the chair back, and took off her hat. She sat it on the table next to her. Al came back with the Cokes, and left. Tancred examined her hat.

"This new?" he asked, playing with the faded ribbon.

"Naw. This was my grandfather's. I always liked to wear it, so he gave it to me."

"That's nice."

"So, tell me."

"What do you want to know?" Tancred asked, smiling.

"What happened to your ex-girlfriend? Don't tell me if you don't want to." She added quickly, seeing the expression on Tancred's face. Tancred twisted his lips up into a lopsided smile.

"You know Bloor's Academy? Well, we both went there. She was the most beautiful, amazing girl I'd ever laid eyes on. No offense to you—,"

"Oh, that's fine, I understand."

"Well, we went on a field trip. To the sea side, for science. She, I, and a couple other students were going on the boat, to try to capture some pictures. She was leaning too far over the side, and she…fell. We couldn't save her in time."

"That's terrible." Alicia said sympathetically, resisting the urge to cover his hand with her own. That wasn't safe. _I should never have asked…this pretending, just to see him, it's not safe for him…but it's not safe to tell him either…_she thought, panicking. _I should tell him. I will tell him. He needs this_, she amended quietly in her mind. Just then, as Tancred was studying her expression, Al came back.

"What are you guys ordering today?"

"Actually, Tancred, could we just…take a walk? Thanks, Al, but I don't think…" she trailed off as they both nodded. Tancred paid for the sodas, and they walked out. He reached to take her hand, but she put it in her coat pocket, shivering slightly.

"Wow, it's so pretty out here." She commented; they were on top of the hill, looking out over the city, and at the river glinting in the distance.

"You're right." Tancred said, his eyes riveted on her face, soaked in the sun. She looked so exactly like her…his arm wound around her waist without his telling it to. She looked up at him, startled. She was trapped in his eyes, and she put her hands on his shoulders, feeling hypnotized. He started to lean down to her, slowly, screaming at himself in his mind; this was _not_ Amoret, it was _not _Amoret, she could never _be_ Amoret because Amoret was _dead!_ Abruptly Alicia took a deep breath, and shoved him away.

"Don't Tancred. You don't want to do this." She broke out, looking away from him. Her voice sounded deeper, all of a sudden, more mature. Like she was ancient. Tancred's eyes widened. She looked back at him, tears running down her face.

"Please…" she sobbed, rubbing her eyes. Gasping in shock, she turned around swiftly, away from him. In her hands she now held a pair of crushed, blue tinted contacts.

"No." she breathed, her hazel eyes wide in horror. So this was going to be it, then.

"Tancred, it's not…safe, for you, to be near me. At all. I need to stay away from you, you don't know I exist…" she trailed off wildly. She felt his hand on her shoulder, spinning her around to face him. She kept her eyes down, and unconsciously dried her glass powdered hands on her jeans. Tancred saw the blue glass.

"Amoret…?" he asked softly, his voice breaking.

"I am so sorry, Tancred…I never meant for you…to…" his hand found itself under her chin, and he lifted her face up to his. Taking his jacket sleeve, he wiped the blush off of her face. The mole disappeared, and he took off her hat. He kissed her eyelids, and they opened in surprise. Deep, soulful, sorry, large hazel eyes met his forgiving ones. She put her hands on his chest, and tilted her face up to his. Tancred kissed Amoret on the lips, and neither of them were aware of Amadis standing in the doorway, staring at them. His expression was loathing and hateful; he was wondering how he could ever have trusted Tancred. Traitor was going through his mind. He turned and walked away in disgust. Tancred lifted his face away from Amoret's, and traced her face.

"I can't believe it's really you."

"I cannot believe that I am alive."

"Does this mean you're coming back to school?"

"No. I am not coming back to school. It would be much too dangerous for you."

"Dangerous for _me_? How?"

"The Bloors—if they found out I was alive—would want to kill me. You know how on television, you see all these stories about kidnappers? They use important things in the person's life to get what they want. I won't let you be their leverage." Tancred stroked her hair again, and squeezed her tight. She sighed, and nestled her head in his neck.

"Well," he started, "now we at least have time to get to know each other." Amoret snorted.

"Don't tell my siblings about me. Please. Although, Amadis is going to give you hell. And once our other friends find out the reason why, he won't be the only one." He looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Amadis saw us walk out together. There's a good bet that he still thinks I'm a hooker named Alicia who you fell for not a week after your former girlfriend died." She quirked an eyebrow up at him, the expression in her eyes slightly hurt.

"No! I never thought about her..you..whatever, that way at all! She just looked so much like you…" he trailed off, for she was laughing.

"What?" he asked, holding her tighter.

"What you are saying is just so convoluted, it is hilarious, I…" she trailed off, looking at his eyes. She brought her hand up, and traced the shadows underneath them.

"Tancred…what…?"

"I haven't been getting much sleep." He admitted.

"And why is that?"

"I've…been thinking about you."

"Aw. That's sweet." She glared at him. He took his hands off her waist and held them up in the air, like a suspect approaching a cop. She giggled again, and hugged him.

"The sun is setting, Tancred. You should go home." She said, after a few minutes.

"Will you still be here next week?"

"Yes. Have fun with Manfred."

"Oh, of course. Anytime." She laughed at his dry tone—she was laughing more than he had ever heard her laugh before—and gave him a peck on the cheek. He quirked an eyebrow up at her, pulling her to him, and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. She bit his lip teasingly, and smiled.

"Leave. I will not say good-bye, Tancred Torsson. I love you too much."

"Love you too, baby. See you." He let go of her, and walked away.

* * *

personally, i think this was too short of a way for him to find out (any ideas of how he should find out...?) and he wasn't...awestruck...enough that she was alive. you know? anyway, review please, and reviews are better than a kiss from tancred torsson. and that's a tall order. :)


	13. Gotta Get BackTo Writing

hey my fellow humans, so, i'm really needing reviews on this story because i'm currently in the process of editing, revising, rewriting, blah blah ing it, so if you could be totally awesome (back to witches and wizards and potions and friends, gryffindor, hufflepuff, ravenclaw, SLYTHERIN!) and tell me what you:

love

hate

funny

dramatic (overly, not enough..?)

and any comments or suggestions are soooo welcome, any quotes, any scene suggestions, anything, i would appreciate it! thanks so much for actually reading it! :) and because i'm weak, please review one of the new editions to the story, i think its cute. also, incoming quotes! :D

**Quotes ! !**

"Darling. I _am_ repulsed by him. He's disgusting, all that wind blowing around, and his hair is absolutely obnoxious. He's so cocky, so sure of himself all the time, it's just…_ugh_," -Amoret (personally, i just like the bit about his hair. :) )

"Oh, really? You don't seem to mind Manfred _grabbing_ you whenever he feels like it," -Tancred

"Okay…okay. Look. I just need to ask this for the sake of my own sanity. Are you a virgin?"

"_What?_" -Amoret and Tancred

"I can't believe Manfred _actually_ got someone to kiss him," -Gabriel

"Tell Amoret hello for us when she wakes up, 'kay? And get some sleep, Amadis, or I'll shoot you," -Olivia

yeahh, they're not very funny quotes, but that's all i've got so far. :) most of what i've written that goes in the new revised version is about Amoret and Tancred. Because, honestly, in this version that you all are reading, (hopefully..) A & T are just like...oh hey. i love you. look, a squirrel.

they never get to know each other, it's like edward and bella, why do you love her? why do you love him? we don't know. we could just assume, like we assume-no, we don't even assume that manfred is an asshole, that's explained. he IS a big baby jerk, though. ;) by the way, who saw the AVPM Sequel? i did! i thought it would suck. "there is literally no way to move forward from this point." that's right, lucious. never expected they'd do that, though. :) red vines. what the hell can't they do?

anyway.

here's the scene i promised a couple hundred words ago. have fun! please review. please? i'll give you a red vine. "i'll give a big, fat kiss to whoever" gives me a review. im sorry, ill stop with the starkidd quotes now.. :)

They were sitting in math class, when Fidelio heard someone tapping their pen. This wouldn't have been unusual, except for the fact that Ms. Thomas was teaching and her droning voice usually had everyone nodding off. Fidelio looked around for the source of the mysterious pencil tapping. To the left of him, right next to the wall, Amoret was looking extremely bored. Emma, right next to her, was looking strangely amused. Fidelio frowned. He normally didn't pay attention to these classroom trifles, but it was either spying or falling asleep. He decided the former was much more interesting.

Apparently, Tancred was the pencil-tapper. He was frowning, bending over his notes, and finally sighed, wrote something down, and folded up the paper. He reached over, gave it to Emma, who gave it to Amoret. Fidelio grinned. He should have guessed.

Amoret unfolded the note, trying—unsuccessfully—to look nonchalant. She smiled, and Emma turned away, leaving them to their note passing.

_Hey you. Let's do something this weekend. What do you say?_

She felt ecstatic.

_Hey back. We most definitely should. I need to show you something. Sound okay?_

She opted for throwing the note over her shoulder, where it landed in his spiked hair. He grinned, and fished it out, reading then replying.

_That depends, of course, on what that "something" is. Care to share?_

_Hmm…I disagree. My opinion is that I should keep this a surprise until I see you. _

_Be that way, Am'. __J__ I'll get you when the Bloors unlock the prison gates Friday evening._

_Sounds swell, storm bringer. See you then. _

Friday evening, she left the dorm room, swept past her sister and brother, and practically ran to meet Tancred by the doors. He was standing in a corner, trying to avoid the mob of students racing to get out of Bloors. He needn't have worried, for they gave him a wide berth. They found a boy with wind around him all the time a tad bit frightening. Before she got to him, Manfred caught her.

"Amie…why are you meeting up with Torsson?" he asked, malice glinting in his eyes. She sighed internally, and put on a seductive smile. She led him near the wall, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nervously put his around her waist. She pressed closer to him, and tried to seem as if she just couldn't bear leaving.

"Darling. I told you about this. I need to get closer to them so that they'll trust me. Torsson," she made a disgusted face and jerked her head in his direction—he was looking rather confused—, "is key. If he doesn't trust me, practically no one does. I hate to be apart from you, but I'll see you on Monday." He smiled at her in that particularly ugly way of his, and bent his head down for a kiss. She had to work hard to keep from cringing in disgust, and kissed him back, making it more passionate than he was expecting. She let him go quickly, smiled brightly, and ran off waving. He stood there, dumbfounded, while she walked away with Tancred. As soon as they got far enough away from the school, Tancred looked at her, his mouth open to heavily criticize what he had just seen. She put up a finger, and fished a bottle of heavy liqueur from her bag. She took a swig, and rinsed out her mouth. Tancred was very confused.

"What…"

"I have no idea what kind of diseases that _thing_ carries. _You_ don't have to kiss it." She looked pointedly at him, stowing away the bottle before the elderly couple across the street could wonder what was going on. He shook his head at her, and put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled.

"You don't have to kiss him either. You don't have to spy." He tried to reason with her, trying to fight the burning jealousy that he never thought he'd feel for Manfred Bloor. She shrugged.

"Tancred, there are some sacrifices that must be made, and that I am willing to make. It is actually sort of amusing."

"Not if you're the one watching," he muttered lowly, before asking her where the hell she was actually taking him. She laughed, and told him to mind his own business, before taking a small path that was obscured by trees. Unfortunately—they both thought—the path was only wide enough for one person to walk on at one time, so he had to let go of her. She walked in front of him, and as he watched her hips swaying back and forth, he realized that this was the first time they had been totally and completely alone together. Amoret had just realized this as well, and was trying to get the idea out of her mind, reminding herself of the curse. She tightened her scarf nervously, and ran a hand through her hair. Her hand was stopped by the many pins that held it there, so she sighed, and painstakingly started removing them. Tancred reached forward, and helped her. She stopped walking, blushing.

"How many pins do you have in here?" he asked, incredulous. She rolled her eyes.

"Tancred, my hair is thick, and very long. So about twenty pins."

"Why don't you just tie it up in a ponytail or something?"

"Because I am old fashioned!" she shouted, exasperated, throwing her hands in the air. He laughed, and handed her the twenty pins. He caught the scent of her hair as she put them in her pocket—lavender. She turned around with a retort, but saw him so close and it died on her tongue. Her lips parted slightly, and she thought that he _must_ know how she felt about him, it was impossible not to. He reached forward and pulled her closer, looking down at her while she looked up at him. She took a deep breath, and turned what might have been the end into a hug. He pressed his face into her hair, and held her close. She buried her face into his coat, and held him tighter.

He never wanted to let her go.

She knew he would have to.

So she sighed reluctantly, and disentangled herself. She smiled gently at him, and he smiled back, brushing a strand of hair from her face with his gloved hand. She took a deep breath, and kept on walking.

"Are we there yet?"

"No…do _you_ see a castle anywhere? _No!_ So stop asking!"

"Wait, we're going to a castle?"

"Erm…"

"Is _that_ it?"

"Possibly."

"Am', I'm going to find out in a few minutes, and you're a rotten liar."

"_Fine._ Yes. That is it. Happy?"

"Considerably," he replied, grinning. She rolled her eyes, and shoved her hands in her pockets. The path widened, and he skipped up next to her, still grinning. They reached it soon enough, high up on a hill, the castle below them, surrounded by a wide and very deep chasm. He began to have his doubts.

"Are we actually like, allowed to be here? Legally?"

"This is owned by a man named Audrey Ling. He was very accommodating." She hoisted herself up onto the sturdy rock wall that separated them from the chasm, and held out a hand for him. He raised an eyebrow at her, and climbed up just fine without her help.

"I don't even _want_ to know what you did to get him to let you be here. Am'…how are we going to get there?"

"Tancred, I am surprised. Don't you know me better than that?" she smirked at him, and jumped off. Tancred yelled, trying to grab for her. Her body disappeared, and all he felt was a strong gust of wind. So strong, in fact, it pushed him off the edge and he fell down. It quickly pushed him back up again, and he tumbled through it to the safe, sturdy rock floor of the castle. Amoret appeared, smiling at him again.

"You…you…please don't ever do that again," he gasped out, shaking his head. She started laughing hard, and twirled around. He rolled his eyes. He recovered, and grabbed her shoulders.

"What are we doing here?" he asked, slightly annoyed. She smirked up at him.

"Tancred Torsson, welcome to my home."

"Wait…what?" She gestured grandly, and began leading him around.

"This was where it all started; where I was born."

"Wait…you're serious?" she turned and looked at him.

"Yes. Why would I make this up?"

"It's just…it's so…surreal. I mean…ugh. Speechless, sorry," he grinned helplessly down at her, and she rolled her eyes teasingly. She started leading him around, and he could see where tapestries had hung, the stand for musicians in the ball room, and she told him about the lavish parties her parents had given, and showed him the balcony where she and her sister hid and watched, wishing they could be older so they could join the dancing and festivities.

"Amadis was much too proud to join us in spying," she laughed, "but sometimes, when he thought we were not looking, he would pop out and gaze down at them. He still does not know we know, but we would spy on him in his room, where he would practice dancing with a lady," she sighed, running her hand over a counter in a room she had told him was the kitchen. She looked so sad.

"Erm…what does _Audrey_ actually use this place for?" he asked, breaking up the silence. She snapped out of her reverie.

"Oh, well, he's studying history. And he found this castle going to ruins, so he studied up on it. Of the numerous families that lived here, the oldest was the Wellerin. Yes, I know, we changed it to Wellers. But anyway, he was ecstatic when he found out that I was descended from them—go ahead and laugh—and asked me for any advice on changes to the castle, how to decorate it when he gathered enough money, etc. He wants to open it to tourists and let them have a taste of history. He was also very surprised when he received an…anonymous donation. So the revisions start on Wednesday," she finished, smiling slightly. He opened his mouth to say something when all of a sudden she grabbed his hand and ran up a flight of about a million stairs. There was a long hall, and he could see down into the ballroom, and he thought he must be standing in the same place she did, all those years ago, watching people dance. But she kept dragging him along, until they came to an opening to a room. She pushed him inside, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. He was suddenly afraid, because this was the sort of frenzied excitement that she could suddenly break down from.

"This was my and Amira's room. Mine, later, when we were older. She got her own. My bed was there, next to the window, and a chest with my clothes was over there. I remember that I could climb out onto a very ugly gargoyle that Father insisted on putting outside my window, to keep away bad luck—how well that worked—and get into Amira's room, or down into the kitchens, all from then climbing onto the roof. The few guards up there kept my secret, for I would, in turn, bring them delicacies from the kitchen," she fell to her knees on the floor, and pulled a Swiss Army knife from her pocket. She started tapping at a few of the stones around her—Tancred momentarily feared for her sanity as he knelt down next to her—until she found the one she was looking for. She stuck the blade into a crack between the stones, and pried that particular one loose. She tossed it aside, and in there was a small metal box. She pulled it out, and scooted close to Tancred.

"I remember first hiding this when I was seven. Periodically, I would open it back up and put something else inside it. I forgot to take it with me when…we fled." She opened it, and Tancred saw many faded and paper thin letters, a small metal object, flower petals, what appeared to be a feather, a necklace, and a piece of cloth.

She started talking about who the letters were from, or what they said. She didn't even touch them, afraid they would disintegrate. Tancred could see her falling apart, back from her high, and quickly. She picked up the metal circle, and handed it to him. He turned it over in his hands, and saw that the back was slightly hollowed out, and covered with pockmarked, fragile glass. It held a lock of delicate blonde hair. She gently twisted it around in his hands, so he was looking at a portrait of a woman on the front of it. She was smiling gently, carved forever in stone, and very beautiful. He looked at Amoret, who was biting her lip and blinking back tears.

"That was Mother," she said, her voice breaking, and then she couldn't take it anymore. She flung herself into his arms, sobbing into his coat. He gently set the carving back in the box, put his arms around her, and rubbed her back. He lifted her so she was sitting more comfortably on his lap, and leaned back against the wall. He sighed, automatically cursing Harken, Manfred, and anyone else that put her through this kind of torture. Amoret took his sigh as one of annoyance, and automatically lifted her head.

"I am sorry, Tancred. I should not…put this on you," she sniffled, sure that she looked awful. He raised an eyebrow at her, and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Don't be stupid. You really miss it, don't you? How he just took it all away."

"_Yes_. You cannot possibly…comprehend…" and her face was in his neck, crying again. He held her tighter, and had his hand on her hair, stroking it.

"Shh…she would be _so_ happy, if she could see you, how beautiful you are. How brave, and smart, and funny, and accomplished," he comforted her, and she felt so grateful that he was here, holding her, for her.

He felt absolutely awful, that she had been through all this, that her life had all been ripped from her. Yet, selfishly, he thought, he was glad that she was with him, and he was allowed to hold her, to touch her. He sighed inwardly, thinking that they only had a limited amount of time before Monday, before she would be back to acting as if all this were a lie, back in Manfred's arms, _kissing_ him. Something he knew, deep down, that she didn't even want. Not from him, at least.


End file.
